The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg

The Power of Habit
Written by Charles Duhigg

I have to say that this book was definitely not a boring non-fiction self-help book! I really enjoyed the entire thing. I listened to this one as an audio book in my car to and from work every day and I think it has really affected my own habits and changed the way that I look at habits in general. I had never thought much about habits except for when I quit smoking a few years ago.

The book deals with how we develop habits both consciously and unconsciously. It's not so much a "how to" book on developing habits; it's more of an informative documentary on habits. Throughout the book, Duhigg tells stories of individuals and their habits. The stories he chooses to include are all very interesting and thought provoking.

Even though the book is not intended as a self-help book, I found my own habits changing as I listened each day. The bad habits began dropping away more and more frequently as I listened to the book day after day. I found that I was beginning to develop new good habits as well. Many of these good habits have seemed to come together effortlessly, even those that I'd tried unsuccessfully to adopt into my life over and over again in the past. For instance, I've been drinking more water, eating healthier and exercising daily. I'd tried to implement these habits time and time again before reading this book and failed miserably.

So, whether you're hoping to learn how to overcome your own bad habits or are just curious about how habits are formed, you should read this book. I found it incredibly thought provoking and really useful. We all have habits we'd like to better understand and habits we'd like to do away with and habits we'd like to take up. Anyone interested in how the brain works would also enjoy the book, as Duhigg goes in depth on how our brain processes habits, and exactly how they work.

God's Hotel, by Victoria Sweet

God's Hotel
Written by Victoria Sweet

"I marveled, and I was thankful. Laguna Honda was off the radar screen. Tucked away in that tiny office, over the hill and far away from HMOs and insurance companies, I was going to be able to practice medicine the way I'd been taught, the way I'd learned, and the way I wanted." God's Hotel, by Victoria Sweet 

I don't read nearly as many non-fiction books, as I do fiction. But occasionally I will come across a memoir or biography that peaks my interest. Even more rarely, a book about a certain philosophy or psychology will lure me in. When I read the description of God's Hotel, although it was non-fiction, it sounded intriguing. When I found out that I had won the book as a goodreads first read, I happily awaited the books arrival.

Since I work as a medical biller and a provider of medical supplies to patients in long term care nursing homes, I thought it might really help me gain some insight into the lives of the patients I provide for. I also hoped it would allow me to have a better understanding of what it's like for the physicians and all the other nursing home staff. With the seemingly constant changes going on in our industry, anything that can give me a greater clarity into what it's really like on the inside, could only serve to make me better at my job.

God's Hotel is an enlightened look at health care that kept me interested up until the final pages. Despite the fact that I know relatively little about the actual practice of medicine, I didn't find the book to be difficult to read or to understand. Sweet weaves the tale in such a way that even the most confusing medical procedures are simply explained.

I especially enjoyed her PhD research into Hildegard, a "health care practitioner" during the medieval medicine period. Her studies really revealed how modern medicine may have discounted too many of the old ways in favor of newer, but not always better, practices. Overall I felt like I really got a good sense of how medicine has changed since the Middle Ages, and what we can learn from the history of medicine.

The stories of her most unusual, most exciting, and most touching individual medical cases that she saw during her more than 20 years employment at Laguna Honda are fascinating. As a doctor in the admitting ward she saw it all: drug abuse, physical abuse, cancer, AIDS, even diseases so rare they are almost unheard of. Some patient's came there to rehabilitate, but for many, Laguna Honda was where they came to die.

Sweet describes many of the quirky characters she comes into contact with, staff and patient alike. She delves into the personalities of each of these characters with wit and candor. You find yourself actually picturing them, because they invariably remind you of someone you know. Each one has his/her own unique personality, and Sweet is a master of portraying them. You also get the opportunity to see how all the people who crossed her path have impacted her both as a person and as a doctor.

Another great aspect of God's Hotel is when Sweet details her time away from Laguna Honda. The year she took off to do more research into Hildegard’s life and work in Switzerland for her PhD and the time she spent making a three part holy pilgrimage across Europe were just as influential both personally and professionally as the patients and staff had been. It's very interesting to see the differences in her life while she was away and how these journeys change her in ways that help her to become a better doctor.

Victoria Sweet paints a picture of what it was like to work at one of the last almshouses, but more importantly, she paints a picture of what a doctor can do when allowed to practice medicine the way they wanted to.